Perry tops Abbott 3-1 in 2014 GOP primary poll

Poll numbers have not been kind to Gov. Rick Perry since his fall from relevance in the 2012 presidential primary race.

Governor Rick Perry, right, hugs Attorney General Greg Abbott after Abbott introduced Perry during the Texas Alliance for Life Rally at the Texas State Capitol in Austin on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013. (Photo: Lisa Krantz, San Antonio Express-News)

However, Monday, which is also the governor’s 63rd birthday, a Texas Tribune poll shows Perry beating his potential primary opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott, by a margin of nearly 3-1 among Republican voters.

The longest-serving governor in state history would receive 49 percent of Republicans’ votes if the GOP gubernatorial primary were held today, according to the poll. Abbott would get about 17 percent while 31 percent haven’t decided.

Eric Bearse, a spokesman for Abbott who also works as a consultant for Perry, downplayed the poll and said, “Fight promoters and the media want to create a conflict that doesn’t exist, and we aren’t going to comment on a poll that plays into that narrative.”

Insiders have echoed Bearse, saying the Texas-sized showdown is doubtful and our bureau chief Peggy Fikac reported on Abbott’s chances and a possible ‘win-win‘ situation for both last month.

A spokesman for Perry declined to comment. Both politicians have said they will announce their political plans in June or later. Rumors have swirled about another presidential run for Perry and Abbott’s race for the governor’s mansion.

Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak said polls released more nearly 20 months before an election “should be taken with a grain of salt” and that a race between the two is “highly unlikely.”

“Perry has strong support among the Republican base, but also strong opposition in a general election with 36 percent opposing him. Abbott is viewed favorably by those who know him, suggesting that he has a lot of room to grow his support,” Mackowiak said.

Not all was good news for Perry, as Mackowiak points out. Perry “beat himself” among all voters with 26 percent saying they’d vote for his re-election and 36 percent saying they’d vote against him, regardless of the candidate.

Texas’ junior U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who upset Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in last year’s primary, was also included in the poll. Thirty-nine percent of respondents had a favorable view of Cruz while 28 percent had an unfavorable one. As for Texas senior U.S. Senator John Cornyn, 32 percent had a favorable opinion while 28 percent had an unfavorable view.

“Ted Cruz has greater support than John Cornyn, which is striking given that Cruz has only been in office two months and for much of that time he has been sharply criticized,” Mackowiak said.

The poll was conducted by YouGov out of California and included 1,420 respondents from Feb. 15-25.